Korean Arrival Part II: The Search for Living Space

As I mentioned in a previous post, we were not going to be issued an apartment on base. We spent the next few days apartment hunting. Uh oh, I should have been studying Korean more diligently. I did not see the need to cram. After all, we were supposed to be living on base.

Many people recommended a realtor named “Ray”. He was very experienced and had lived/studied in Massachusetts for a while, therefore his English skills were on the money. He drove us around town, and we settled on a place in Koaroo (코아루) Apartments; a seven-building complex with ample underground parking and some playgrounds for the kiddies. I would say the resident population is about 40% American.

The neighborhood is quite pleasing. Jisan-ro is something of a wide avenue, so one does not feel oppressed by buildings. There are plenty of shops and cafes around as well. However, I still do not feel settled. Our furniture shipment was due to arrive on 12/10/2020 and it is due to finally be delivered 1/4/2021.

Driving on Jisan-Ro

We have luxurious (cough…gag) loaner furniture from the Air Force which will be picked up on 1/5 and then our new sectional arrives on 1/6. We junked our sofa and love seat back in Idaho. The kids and the cats had ruined it to the point that I did not feel comfy even giving them to an enemy. The first week of 2021 is shaping up to be a busy one. But my comfort requires more than furnishings.

My guitars, clothes, books, CD’s, DVDs, and more kitchen gadgets are on this shipment. Then and only then will I feel relaxed and settled.

About two weeks before Christmas, I picked up a sinus infection. And this was a brutal one. I went deaf for about 12 days. If you were wondering why I was not plastering pix and other things all over social media or responding to emails, now you know why.

Furniture Delivery

Our shipment arrived and it still took about two weeks to get things under control. The movers will reassemble the dining room table, but they are not going to take care of your clothes, books, CD’s, DVD’s, and other assorted bric-a-brac. Please remember, under normal circumstances, we could have taken care of everything in a couple of days. But toddlers do not stop being hungry, or cease needing clean clothes just because you have something else to do. I have barely touched upon all the events and pitfalls we experienced, but I think some will get the point.

Anyway, I hope these last two posts serve as something of an explanation as to why I faded from public presence, but also experienced a heavy impact on any writing and editing.

Have you ever had a complicated move or taken a forced hiatus from writing and social media because life got in the way?